Scavenging along an ecological interface: utilization of amphibian and reptile carcasses around isolated wetlands
Abstract
Scavenging is an influential ecosystem process, providing many weak, but stabilizing food web links. Amphibians and reptiles (i.e., herpetofauna) utilize land/water interfaces and can have large biomasses concentrated here, making them important vectors of nutrients between aquatic and terrestrial systems and a valuable resource to scavengers. There are limited data on the fate of herpetofauna carrion, and thus, it is unknown how such carcasses are incorporated into food webs or how habitat and carcass characteristics influence which scavengers acquire these resources. We used camera traps to determine the proportion of experimental amphibian and reptile carcasses (lizards, salamanders, frogs, and toads) scavenged by vertebrates and invertebrates in two different habitats (wetland and upland) during the spring in the southeastern USA. Vertebrates removed 19.8% of all herpetofauna carcasses in both habitats, with the remaining carcasses removed by invertebrates (80.2%). We used log-linear models to evaluate the impact of habitat and carcass type on scavenging. We determined that habitat, but not carcass type, was influential in determining whether a vertebrate or invertebrate scavenged a carcass, with vertebrates able to scavenge more carcasses in wetland than in upland areas. In less than two days, 86.2% of all carcasses in both habitat types were completelymore »
- Authors:
-
- Odum School of Ecology University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA, Savannah River Ecology Lab University of Georgia Aiken South Carolina 29802 USA
- Savannah River Ecology Lab University of Georgia Aiken South Carolina 29802 USA, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA
- Savannah River Ecology Lab University of Georgia Aiken South Carolina 29802 USA
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1408057
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1412551; OSTI ID: 1509805
- Grant/Contract Number:
- DE‐FC09‐07SR22506; FC09-07SR22506
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Ecosphere
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Ecosphere Journal Volume: 8 Journal Issue: 11; Journal ID: ISSN 2150-8925
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; ants; beetle; carrion; frog; herpetofauna; invertebrate; lizard; opossum; raccoon; salamander; scavenger; toad
Citation Formats
Abernethy, Erin F., Turner, Kelsey L., Beasley, James C., and Rhodes, Jr., Olin E. Scavenging along an ecological interface: utilization of amphibian and reptile carcasses around isolated wetlands. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1002/ecs2.1989.
Abernethy, Erin F., Turner, Kelsey L., Beasley, James C., & Rhodes, Jr., Olin E. Scavenging along an ecological interface: utilization of amphibian and reptile carcasses around isolated wetlands. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1989
Abernethy, Erin F., Turner, Kelsey L., Beasley, James C., and Rhodes, Jr., Olin E. Wed .
"Scavenging along an ecological interface: utilization of amphibian and reptile carcasses around isolated wetlands". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1989.
@article{osti_1408057,
title = {Scavenging along an ecological interface: utilization of amphibian and reptile carcasses around isolated wetlands},
author = {Abernethy, Erin F. and Turner, Kelsey L. and Beasley, James C. and Rhodes, Jr., Olin E.},
abstractNote = {Scavenging is an influential ecosystem process, providing many weak, but stabilizing food web links. Amphibians and reptiles (i.e., herpetofauna) utilize land/water interfaces and can have large biomasses concentrated here, making them important vectors of nutrients between aquatic and terrestrial systems and a valuable resource to scavengers. There are limited data on the fate of herpetofauna carrion, and thus, it is unknown how such carcasses are incorporated into food webs or how habitat and carcass characteristics influence which scavengers acquire these resources. We used camera traps to determine the proportion of experimental amphibian and reptile carcasses (lizards, salamanders, frogs, and toads) scavenged by vertebrates and invertebrates in two different habitats (wetland and upland) during the spring in the southeastern USA. Vertebrates removed 19.8% of all herpetofauna carcasses in both habitats, with the remaining carcasses removed by invertebrates (80.2%). We used log-linear models to evaluate the impact of habitat and carcass type on scavenging. We determined that habitat, but not carcass type, was influential in determining whether a vertebrate or invertebrate scavenged a carcass, with vertebrates able to scavenge more carcasses in wetland than in upland areas. In less than two days, 86.2% of all carcasses in both habitat types were completely scavenged, and carcasses in wetlands were removed more quickly, suggesting intense competition between vertebrates and invertebrates. Additionally, we observed low vertebrate scavenger richness, which we attribute to high invertebrate activity in the spring and the small size of the herpetofauna carcasses (<100 g). We identified the scavenging pathways along which herpetofauna are incorporated into the food web and the factors that influence those pathways, suggesting the large extent and spatial scale of this resource’s influence on food web connections and consequently food web and ecosystem stability.},
doi = {10.1002/ecs2.1989},
journal = {Ecosphere},
number = 11,
volume = 8,
place = {United States},
year = {2017},
month = {11}
}
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1989
Web of Science
Figures / Tables:

Works referenced in this record:
Amphibian lipid levels at metamorphosis correlate to post-metamorphic terrestrial survival
journal, May 2007
- Scott, David E.; Casey, Erin D.; Donovan, Michele F.
- Oecologia, Vol. 153, Issue 3
Scavenger community response to the removal of a dominant scavenger
journal, May 2011
- Olson, Z. H.; Beasley, J. C.; DeVault, T. L.
- Oikos, Vol. 121, Issue 1
Pacific Salmon Carcasses: Essential Contributions of Nutrients and Energy for Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems
journal, October 1999
- Cederholm, C. Jeff; Kunze, Matt D.; Murota, Takeshi
- Fisheries, Vol. 24, Issue 10
Secondary Production of Tiger Salamanders ( Ambystoma tigrinum ) in Three North Dakota Prairie Lakes
journal, April 1988
- Deutschman, Mark R.; Peterka, John J.
- Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Vol. 45, Issue 4
Biology and Impacts of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 5. Eleutherodactylus coqui , the Coqui Frog (Anura: Leptodactylidae)
journal, July 2009
- Beard, Karen H.; Price, Emily A.; Pitt, William C.
- Pacific Science, Vol. 63, Issue 3
Carrion decomposition and nutrient cycling in a semiarid shrub–steppe ecosystem
journal, November 2009
- Parmenter, Robert R.; MacMahon, James A.
- Ecological Monographs, Vol. 79, Issue 4
The Global Decline of Reptiles, Déjà Vu Amphibians
journal, January 2000
- Gibbon, J. Whitfield; Scott, David E.; Ryan, Travis J.
- BioScience, Vol. 50, Issue 8
Energy flow and subsidies associated with the complex life cycle of ambystomatid salamanders in ponds and adjacent forest in southern Illinois
journal, October 2005
- Regester, Kurt J.; Lips, Karen R.; Whiles, Matt R.
- Oecologia, Vol. 147, Issue 2
Hit and Run: Effects of Scavenging on Estimates of Roadkilled Vertebrates
journal, December 2005
- Antworth, Rebecca L.; Pike, David A.; Stevens, Ernest E.
- Southeastern Naturalist, Vol. 4, Issue 4
Influence of patch- and landscape-level attributes on the movement behavior of raccoons in agriculturally fragmented landscapes
journal, February 2010
- Beasley, J. C.; Rhodes, O. E.
- Canadian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 88, Issue 2
Carcass size shapes the structure and functioning of an African scavenging assemblage
journal, February 2015
- Moleón, Marcos; Sánchez-Zapata, José A.; Sebastián-González, Esther
- Oikos, Vol. 124, Issue 10
Scavenging: how carnivores and carrion structure communities
journal, March 2011
- Wilson, Erin E.; Wolkovich, Elizabeth M.
- Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 26, Issue 3
Scavenging by vertebrates: behavioral, ecological, and evolutionary perspectives on an important energy transfer pathway in terrestrial ecosystems
journal, August 2003
- DeVault, Travis L.; Rhodes, Jr., Olin E.; Shivik, John A.
- Oikos, Vol. 102, Issue 2
Quantitative evidence for global amphibian population declines
journal, April 2000
- Houlahan, Jeff. E.; Findlay, C. Scott; Schmidt, Benedikt R.
- Nature, Vol. 404, Issue 6779
Biological Criteria for Buffer Zones around Wetlands and Riparian Habitats for Amphibians and Reptiles
journal, October 2003
- Semlitsch, Raymond D.; Bodie, J. Russell
- Conservation Biology, Vol. 17, Issue 5
Growing large in a low grade environment: size dependent foraging gain and niche shifts to cannibalism in Arctic char
journal, January 2006
- Finstad, Anders Gravbrøt; Ugedal, Ola; Berg, Ole Kristian
- Oikos, Vol. 112, Issue 1
Facilitation of periphyton production by tadpole grazing: functional differences between species
journal, April 1997
- Kupferberg, Sarah
- Freshwater Biology, Vol. 37, Issue 2
Multiple scavengers respond rapidly to pulsed carrion resources at the land–ocean interface
journal, April 2013
- Schlacher, Thomas A.; Strydom, Simone; Connolly, Rod M.
- Acta Oecologica, Vol. 48
Functional replacement across species pools of vertebrate scavengers separated at a continental scale maintains an ecosystem function
journal, November 2015
- Huijbers, Chantal M.; Schlacher, Thomas A.; McVeigh, Rosemary R.
- Functional Ecology, Vol. 30, Issue 6
Salamander Populations and Biomass in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire
journal, August 1975
- Burton, Thomas M.; Likens, Gene E.
- Copeia, Vol. 1975, Issue 3
Urbanisation alters processing of marine carrion on sandy beaches
journal, November 2013
- Huijbers, Chantal M.; Schlacher, Thomas A.; Schoeman, Dave S.
- Landscape and Urban Planning, Vol. 119
Notes on Continuous Stochastic Phenomena
journal, January 1950
- Moran, P. A. P.
- Biometrika, Vol. 37, Issue 1-2
Sampling Flies or Sampling Flaws? Experimental Design and Inference Strength in Forensic Entomology
journal, January 2012
- Michaud, J. -P.; Schoenly, Kenneth G.; Moreau, G.
- Journal of Medical Entomology, Vol. 49, Issue 1
Are Small, Isolated Wetlands Expendable?
journal, October 1998
- Semlitsch, Raymond D.; Bodie, J. Russell
- Conservation Biology, Vol. 12, Issue 5
Invasive carnivores alter ecological function and enhance complementarity in scavenger assemblages on ocean beaches
journal, October 2015
- Brown, Marion B.; Schlacher, Thomas A.; Schoeman, David S.
- Ecology, Vol. 96, Issue 10
Abiotic and biotic factors modulate carrion fate and vertebrate scavenging communities
journal, September 2017
- Turner, Kelsey L.; Abernethy, Erin F.; Conner, L. Mike
- Ecology, Vol. 98, Issue 9
Toad’s tongue for breakfast: exploitation of a novel prey type, the invasive cane toad, by scavenging raptors in tropical Australia
journal, November 2010
- Beckmann, Christa; Shine, Richard
- Biological Invasions, Vol. 13, Issue 6
Factors influencing the acquisition of rodent carrion by vertebrate scavengers and decomposers
journal, March 2004
- DeVault, Travis L.; Brisbin, Jr., I. Lehr; Rhodes, Jr., Olin E.
- Canadian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 82, Issue 3
How Long Do the Dead Survive on the Road? Carcass Persistence Probability and Implications for Road-Kill Monitoring Surveys
journal, September 2011
- Santos, Sara M.; Carvalho, Filipe; Mira, António
- PLoS ONE, Vol. 6, Issue 9
Identification of vertebrate scavengers of small mammal carcasses in a forested landscape
journal, June 2002
- DeVault, Travis L.; Rhodes, Olin E.
- Acta Theriologica, Vol. 47, Issue 2
Mesopredators dominate competition for carrion in an agricultural landscape
journal, May 2011
- DeVault, Travis L.; Olson, Zachary H.; Beasley, James C.
- Basic and Applied Ecology, Vol. 12, Issue 3
The decision to feed by a scavenger in relation to the risks of predation and starvation
journal, February 1994
- McKillup, S. C.; McKillup, R. V.
- Oecologia, Vol. 97, Issue 1
The effects of amphibian population declines on the structure and function of Neotropical stream ecosystems
journal, February 2006
- Whiles, Matt R.; Lips, Karen R.; Pringle, Cathy M.
- Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol. 4, Issue 1
On the Ecological Roles of Salamanders
journal, December 2004
- Davic, Robert D.; Welsh, Hartwell H.
- Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, Vol. 35, Issue 1
Effectiveness of Removal Sampling for Determining Salamander Density and Biomass: A Case Study in an Appalachian Streamside Community
journal, March 2001
- Petranka, James W.; Murray, Susan S.
- Journal of Herpetology, Vol. 35, Issue 1
Factors affecting carcass use by a guild of scavengers in European temperate woodland
journal, December 2005
- Selva, N.; Jędrzejewska, B.; Jędrzejewski, W.
- Canadian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 83, Issue 12
How Quickly are Road-killed Snakes Scavenged? Implications for Underestimates of Road Mortality
journal, June 2011
- Degregorio, Brett A.; Hancock, Thomas E.; Kurz, David J.
- Journal of North Carolina Academy of Science, Vol. 127, Issue 2
From regional to global patterns in vertebrate scavenger communities subsidized by big game hunting
journal, April 2015
- Mateo-Tomás, Patricia; Olea, Pedro P.; Moleón, Marcos
- Diversity and Distributions, Vol. 21, Issue 8
Inter-specific interactions linking predation and scavenging in terrestrial vertebrate assemblages: Linking predation and scavenging
journal, March 2014
- Moleón, Marcos; Sánchez-Zapata, José A.; Selva, Nuria
- Biological Reviews, Vol. 89, Issue 4
The effects of the frog Eleutherodactylus coqui on invertebrates and ecosystem processes at two scales in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico
journal, October 2003
- Beard, Karen H.; Eschtruth, Anne K.; Vogt, Kristina A.
- Journal of Tropical Ecology, Vol. 19, Issue 6
Differential Predation on Metamorphic Anurans by Garter Snakes (Thamnophis): Social Behavior as a Possible Defense
journal, August 1978
- Arnold, Stevan J.; Wassersug, Richard J.
- Ecology, Vol. 59, Issue 5
A Hierarchical Analysis of Habitat Selection by Raccoons in Northern Indiana
journal, June 2007
- Beasley, James C.; Devault, Travis L.; Retamosa, Monica I.
- Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol. 71, Issue 4
Responses of Isolated Wetland Herpetofauna to Upland Forest Management
journal, July 2002
- Russell, Kevin R.; Hanlin, Hugh G.; Wigley, T. Bently
- The Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol. 66, Issue 3
Carcasses of invasive species are predominantly utilized by invasive scavengers in an island ecosystem
journal, October 2016
- Abernethy, Erin F.; Turner, Kelsey L.; Beasley, James C.
- Ecosphere, Vol. 7, Issue 10
Trophic facilitation by introduced top predators: grey wolf subsidies to scavengers in Yellowstone National Park
journal, November 2003
- Wilmers, Christopher C.; Crabtree, Robert L.; Smith, Douglas W.
- Journal of Animal Ecology, Vol. 72, Issue 6
Does Weather or Site Characteristics Influence the Ability of Scavengers to Locate Food?: Scavenger Foraging
journal, December 2011
- Ruzicka, Rebekah E.; Conover, Michael R.
- Ethology, Vol. 118, Issue 2
Insect succession and decomposition patterns on shaded and sunlit carrion in Saskatchewan in three different seasons
journal, August 2008
- Sharanowski, Barbara J.; Walker, Ernest G.; Anderson, Gail S.
- Forensic Science International, Vol. 179, Issue 2-3
Nutrient Dynamics and Food-Web Stability
journal, November 1989
- DeAngelis, D. L.; Mulholland, P. J.; Palumbo, A. V.
- Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, Vol. 20, Issue 1
Nocturnal Activity and Foraging of Prairie Raccoons (Procyon lotor) in North Dakota
journal, April 1982
- Greenwood, Raymond J.
- American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 107, Issue 2
Carrion Reduction by Animals in Contrasting Tropical Habitats
journal, April 1974
- Cornaby, Barney W.
- Biotropica, Vol. 6, Issue 1
Figures / Tables found in this record: